As the WNBA’s season has developed into a full swing, the landscape of the situation regarding this year’s WNBA MVP has started to take shape.
In the first half of the season, Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun was cementing herself as the favorite to win the MVP but has anything changed for Jones after her brief trip to Europe to play for her home country of Bosnia.
Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know surrounding the WNBA MVP race as we head into July.
Jonquel Jones, +100
Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun is the leading candidate to win the 2021 WNBA MVP.The 6-foot-6 forward is one of the best players in the entire league and has only gotten better since her rookie season in 2016. This season she is averaging 21.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting over 55 percent from the field and just under 50 percent from three-point land.
Jonquel Jones’ play is a big reason why the Sun have an 11-5 record, which is good enough for third place, and just one game behind the Seattle Storm.
Jones was selected sixth overall by the Sparks in the 2016 Draft but was traded to the Sun on draft night. The move has routinely proven to be one of the best in the last five years of the WNBA.
Breanna Stewart, +160
The former UConn star has carried her impressive play into the WNBA through her first five years in the league. Breanna Stewart is exceeding her career average of 20.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 31.7 percent field goal percentage this season.
Stewart is the best player on the best team in the WNBA, the Seattle Storm. Steward has helped lead the Storm to a 7-1 road record this season and a 7-3 record in the team’s last 10 games.
The 26-year-old was selected to Team USA’s Olympic roster last week and is expected to help lead the United States to a gold medal in Tokyo.
A’ja Wilson, +600
A’ja Stewart of the Las Vegas Aces has an odds of +600 to win the WNBA MVP this season.A’ja Wilson is in her fourth season in the league after staring at South Carolina in college. Wilson is leading the Las Vegas Aces to an 11-4 record, including an 8-2 hot streak in their last 10 games.
Wilson is averaging 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists a game this season for Las Vegas, but she is also playing a career-high in minutes a game and is knocking down over 45 percent of her shots from the field and over 90 percent of her free throws.
Wilson has seen her scoring numbers increase each year of her career, but this season they have taken a step back from the over 20 points she averaged last season. She is having a great season, but she likely isn’t in the same category as Jones or Stewart.
Jewell Loyd, +800
Jewell Loyd, the 5-foot-10 guard from Notre Dame, is in her seventh season in the WNBA and is having her best season yet. Loyd’s partnership with Steward on the Storm has contributed to a potential championship team.
Loyd is averaging 18.6 points per game and 4.5 assists while shooting over 48 percent from three-point land. Her 2.3 turnovers a game have contributed to a consistent Storm offense that is one of the best in the WNBA.
Sabrina Ionescu, +1200
Sabrina Ionescu, arguably the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time, stands at +1200 to win the WNBA MVP.The second-year guard and most likely the greatest women’s college player of all time hasn’t met the expectations she set for herself entering the season.
Sabrina Ionescu is averaging just 10.5 points a game with 5.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists a game. Her shooting numbers are what has held her back this season, but if she is able to start heating up in the scoring department, she could potentially make a run at winning an MVP in her second season.
